Produced by Darren Jenkins
Released: April 25
Switchblade has followed up their superior 2005 debut in the best way possible: by surpassing it in every aspect. Invictus Infinitum is a triumph for this hard-working and determined band. With a mix by no less a name than Neil Kernon, who's worked with Nevermore and Nile, and a spectacular guest appearance by modern guitar god Jeff Loomis, this is a display of just how good an album from an underground, unsigned act can be. This was made by an independent Sydney band but looks and sounds like it came from the stables of Nuclear Blast or Century Media: cardboard slipcase, fancy stickering, brilliant artwork, deliriously good production and, most importantly of all, a killer bunch of songs.
They were a great band before, but Invictus Infinitum is a reflection of how Switchblade has matured since The End of All Once Known. Indeed, this is almost a completely different band from the one that recorded that album. Their sound is leaner and the musical direction more refined, the hooks and riffs more memorable. Losing nothing of their heaviness, the production also enhances the more melodic aspects. Two of these guys were in Infernal Method for a while, and one could be forgiven for thinking that they brought some elements from that band to this. Twin guitar harmonies abound among catchy death metal riffs that recall the likes of Arch Enemy or Dark Tranquillity.
From the opening notes of “Revelation”, Invictus Infinitum is nothing less than a celebration of visceral, modern metal: insidious melodies, thrash grooves and hook-ridden death metal riffing. Loomis rips the fretboard apart on his guest slot in "Reflective Curse", one of the stand-out tracks with an infectious, Gothenburg sound. “The Cancer Benign” and “Impure Design” are savage and the feverishly heavy closer "As the Sun Dies" is also one of the highlights, but there isn’t a single bad track to be found.
Switchblade has delivered again, bigger and better than before.
Released: April 25
Switchblade has followed up their superior 2005 debut in the best way possible: by surpassing it in every aspect. Invictus Infinitum is a triumph for this hard-working and determined band. With a mix by no less a name than Neil Kernon, who's worked with Nevermore and Nile, and a spectacular guest appearance by modern guitar god Jeff Loomis, this is a display of just how good an album from an underground, unsigned act can be. This was made by an independent Sydney band but looks and sounds like it came from the stables of Nuclear Blast or Century Media: cardboard slipcase, fancy stickering, brilliant artwork, deliriously good production and, most importantly of all, a killer bunch of songs.
They were a great band before, but Invictus Infinitum is a reflection of how Switchblade has matured since The End of All Once Known. Indeed, this is almost a completely different band from the one that recorded that album. Their sound is leaner and the musical direction more refined, the hooks and riffs more memorable. Losing nothing of their heaviness, the production also enhances the more melodic aspects. Two of these guys were in Infernal Method for a while, and one could be forgiven for thinking that they brought some elements from that band to this. Twin guitar harmonies abound among catchy death metal riffs that recall the likes of Arch Enemy or Dark Tranquillity.
From the opening notes of “Revelation”, Invictus Infinitum is nothing less than a celebration of visceral, modern metal: insidious melodies, thrash grooves and hook-ridden death metal riffing. Loomis rips the fretboard apart on his guest slot in "Reflective Curse", one of the stand-out tracks with an infectious, Gothenburg sound. “The Cancer Benign” and “Impure Design” are savage and the feverishly heavy closer "As the Sun Dies" is also one of the highlights, but there isn’t a single bad track to be found.
Switchblade has delivered again, bigger and better than before.
- II
- Revelation
- Coil of the Serpent
- The Cancer Benign
- Solitary Existence
- Reflective Curse
- Impure Design
- Lacerate
- As the Sun Dies
Rating: 95%
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